These Rare Japanese Grapes Could Cost You Thousands
For many of us, our knowledge of grape varieties only goes so far as red, green, seedless, and those cotton candy grapes that make some people lose their minds. However, there are far more varieties of grapes on the market, and some are sure to give you sticker shock.
According to It's Japanese, many high-end grape varieties are grown in Japan. Kyohou grapes, for instance, are a large, very dark-colored species that can cost up to $45 per pound. For comparison, the average price for a pound of regular, American seedless grapes in 2021 was $2.24, per Statista. Even the highest average –- which occurred in 2009 –- was only $3.14.
While $45 per pound of grapes is obviously a lot more expensive than $2.24, these prices are nothing next to Japan's rarest grapes. Ruby Roman grapes are quite literally the truffles of the fruit world, and you'll pay accordingly.
Just how expensive are Ruby Roman grapes?
When we say Ruby Roman grapes are expensive, we're talking hundreds -– even thousands –- of dollars per pound. Price is affected by the variety's scarcity, the effort it takes to cultivate them, and of course, the extremely high quality of the grapes themselves.
Per Business Insider, depending on the quality of the grapes, a single bunch can cost anywhere from $90 to $450, with the most "premium" grapes costing $1000. At a 2014 auction, Ruby Roman grapes sold for $5400 a bunch, which meant each individual grape cost nearly $200 (via ABC News). Safe to say that's a bit more than the $2.24 we typically pay for a pound of regular grapes in America.
Okay, so we get that these grapes are supposed to taste amazing, but how are they so expensive? Well, according to Restaurant Clicks, Ruby Roman grapes are grown in specialized greenhouses, where each and every grape can be given "the utmost care and attention." Guess you won't be finding a creepy crawler in a bunch of these grapes.